Hey Everyone!
Like I have said in my previous posts, now that it is the end of the show season, it's time to work ourselves to death This is the most determined and confident I think I have ever been, and if I can get rides to the barn enough, I'm going down 6 times a week (one of those is a private lesson and one is a trail ride a the end of the week as a relaxation thing) So, as you can see, me and my horse are working HARD!
Now to the question:
Lately, I have been sitting back too early over the jumps. When we jump 2'6 and under, I feel like I'm overexaggerating my position over the jump and it feels awkward, but when we jump 3' and up it feels natural to be in that position. Over the small stuff I feel like I stand in my stirrups and it feels really weird. I really need to work on my overall position including: stronger legs, bigger releases, and not sitting back too early. Do you have any tips to help any of these problems, mainly sitting on his back too early?

I think you really need to stabalize your lower leg, solidify it at the girth and work on feeling for your balance over your horses center of gravity.

I suggest lunge line work, it's the best way to obtain solidity in your tack and learning to get a feeling for your horses movement. Do it with no reins, start out with trot poles and really work on your 2 point and remaining quiet in your saddle. Learn to feel your horse under you, and work on staying with him and working with him - so that you stay over his center of gravity.

Then move to cavaletti's and continue. Eventually you will beable to stay with your horse, allow him to do his job, and remain solid and secure with your lower body to stay where you need to remain.

There are quite a few posts about obtaining solidity in your tack and strengthening your lower leg and allowing your heels to do their job while over fences in the Jumping Section - I am sure you will find them if you do a search.

Are you sitting back early due to a brain fart or because you cannot hold your position? If it's the first one, try counting one stride after you land before sitting back down. If it's the second, only strengthening your leg and core will do the trick.

Thanks guys! Honestly, there is so much I'm thinking about going to the jump, that I just forget. I have been doing a ton of leg strengthening exercises, I know I do need a stronger leg. I have decided that once a week I'm going to do intense bare-back exercises, so far I can definitely feel a stretch. Hopefully, once I get a stronger leg and really focus on this in my lessons, it will improve. And yes, people at the barn suggested counting a stride out and then sitting back. At least I have a lot of tips

I'm in the same boat as you! And what MIE said is exactly what my coach is working with me on, stabalizing my lower leg, and she is having me ride no sturrips and when we are jumping she has me keep my boot on the horse, no momement what-so-ever, and it is helpin BUNCHES! I see a difference already!

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.